Identifying Dodgy Cosmetic Surgery Advice on Social Media

These days, people turn to social media for all manner of purposes,
often looking to their favourite platform to seek advice on a wide range of subjects
from minor queries to substantial issues. This is even true in the case of
medical advice; however with no actual vetting procedures in place governing
who can claim expertise on these platforms and subsequently what advice these
people can hand out, differentiating the fact from the fiction can be difficult
and oftentimes costly. Now we are not in any way recommending that our readers
use social media platforms in place of professional medical advice, however as
so many people seem to use these platforms for medical queries we understand
the importance of knowing who to trust.

Fortunately, netdoctor.co.uk recently had a conversation with Dr Jan Schaefer, Chief Medical Officer
at MEDIGO, in
which she offered her personal insights into this exact issue. Their
conversation focused largely on the subject of cosmetic surgery as posts which
endorse or promote such procedures are commonplace on social media, particularly
on the more image-focused platforms such as Instagram. Below are summarised the
major red flags to look out for when presented with posts documenting or
promoting cosmetic surgery online, as identified by Dr Schaefer:

Choice of Hashtags

The terminology used by an individual can oftentimes be used
as a fairly accurate indicator of their true knowledge of a given subject, and
this extends to hashtags as well. Crude terms and the use of slang in hashtags
are major signs that something is up, Dr Schaefer asserts.

“For example, you usually won’t find a surgeon advertising
breast enhancement surgery with #boobjob, as that shows a lack of
professionalism. Instead, a surgeon might use #breastaugmentation, that
is, if they use any hashtag at all.”

Content of Captions

The aforementioned note concerning phrasing and terminology
is also true when it comes to the caption accompanying a post, but of greater concern
here according to Dr Schaefer is the nature of the given content, more
specifically the presence, or lack of, aftercare advice. If no post-treatment
steps are mentioned or the post suggests unrealistic healing times, it is better
off disregarded.

“The key word in any surgery, whether cosmetic or not, is ‘surgery’,”
states Dr Schaefer. “The body needs time to heal, and the surgeon should
detail what a patient should do to ensure a smooth healing process, as well as
provide a realistic timeline. If a social media post mentions that a patient
looked like their ‘after’ photo a day after surgery, it is a red flag.”

Manner of Approach

Social media is by its very nature a public platform, and
there is little reason for any professional company or service provider to hide
away from that fact when promoting their service if they have nothing to hide.
With that in mind, always show some caution if an individual pops under the
cover of your direct messages to offer you cosmetic surgery advice or
procedures.

Evasiveness & Avoidance of Questions

Tying into the previous point, there is no reason for any certified
professional to be anything less than open with you when it comes to questions pertaining
to a procedure they endorse, promote, or offer. As such, a reluctance to answer
any relevant queries should stand out as a major warning sign. Dr Schaefer
insists, “If you find that the surgeon is avoiding your important questions, such
as: what does the procedure involve? How long will it take to heal? Then it
is a clear sign that they should be avoided. Another red flag that
you might spot when speaking to the provider is that they assure you a
procedure has ‘no risks’. In any medical procedure, there is always a risk, even
if it is relatively small.”

Dr Schaefer’s Advice

Dr Schaefer’s personal recommendations concerning the matter
of cosmetic surgery promotions online can be largely summarised with the
reminder that social media platforms cannot provide all the necessary
information when considering any surgical procedure, be that cosmetic or
otherwise. It is vital that you step away from these platforms and do some
proper research elsewhere, and of course always consult your GP. Specific
questions to ask yourself during this research time, as given by Dr Schaefer,
include: